Dutch Farmhouse Cake, is a traditional old-fashioned Dutch cake recipe loaded with apples, cinnamon, and spices. A popular easy recipe using regular pantry ingredients.
It seems wherever you go in Holland, you will be warmly welcomed with a slice of cake or Pie! More often than not, it will have apples in it, and cinnamon, and usually raisins too. Then there's the many different varieties of apple cake, each one usually being peculiar to a particular Province in Holland.
This recipe was shown to me by my Dutch bake friend, and she tells me it is a very popular cake in the Southern Province of Limburg.
It's a cake packed full of apples, and is certainly delicious! It resembles more of a bread pudding cake than a sponge cake and is quite dense.
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The top is a little crispy from the sugar, and when you serve this with some lovely custard or whipped cream or eat it simply on its own, it certainly is delicious. It's not a particularly sweet cake, more of a tart cake from the apples, but you can add extra sugar to suit, no problem! It's also very moist, and great tasting, so let's see how easy this cake is to make.
Interestingly, this cake doesn't use any flour at all, but instead, uses breadcrumbs. When you think about this being an old vintage Dutch recipe, it makes sense, as people would have used up any leftover or stale bread to make something such as a cake, rather than use flour which may have been scarce or expensive. As a result of using breadcrumbs, the cake takes on a denser texture, and the addition of the egg whites delicately folded into the cake batter will give it a little air and lightness, but this is a denser cake so you are aware.
Be sure to check out our other popular Dutch recipes!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Yield
8
Equipment you will need
A 23 cm / 8 - 9 inch spring form or tin with a removable base (easier to get the pie out)
Ingredients
2 lbs or 1 kg of sour apples, like Granny Smiths.
1 & ½ cups or 170 g Breadcrumbs
3 eggs, separated.
2 oz or 50 g Butter, softened
½ cup or 100 g sugar
½ cup or 100 g raisins
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger powder
pinch of ground cloves
1 Tablespoon Brown sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 375 F / Gas 4. Grease your baking tin. I always line the bottom with parchment.
2. Peel and cube the apples and in a pan or microwave, cook the apples until a puree. Use a potato masher to puree them It's easier!
3. Separate the 3 eggs, and in one bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. With the yolks, lightly beat.
4. In a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, sugar, apple puree, butter and combine well.
5. Add the apple puree and mix again. then add the egg yolks, mix it all together very well.
6. Finally, gently fold in the whisked egg whites and transfer the mixture to your baking pan. Even the surface and sprinkle brown sugar all over.
Bake for approximately 1 hour. Mine took 1 hour and 5 minutes. Test with a toothpick after 1 hour, and also the top should be a nice golden brown like in the photos!
Allow to cool in the tin then serve with some chilled custard sauce or whipped cream. Delicious! oh, and of course a cup of Dutch Coffee!
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Dutch Farmhouse Cake
Dutch Farmhouse Cake, is a traditional old-fashioned Dutch cake recipe loaded with apples, cinnamon, and spices. A popular easy recipe using regular pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs or 1 kg of sour apples, like Granny Smiths.
- 1 & ½ cups or 170 g Breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs, separated.
- 2 oz or 50 g Butter, softened
- ½ cup or 100 g sugar
- ½ cup or 100 g raisins
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- cloves pinch of ground
- 1 Tablespoon Brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 375 F / Gas 4. Grease your baking tin. I always line the bottom with parchment.
- Peel and cube the apples and in a pan or microwave, cook the apples until a puree. Use a potato masher to puree them It's easier!
- Separate the 3 eggs, and in one bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. With the yolks, lightly beat.
- In a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, sugar, apple puree, and butter and combine well.
- Add the apple puree and mix again. then add the egg yolks, and mix it all together very well.
- Finally, gently fold in the whisked egg whites and transfer the mixture to your baking pan. Even the surface and sprinkle brown sugar all over.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour. Mine took 1 hour and 5 minutes. Test with a toothpick after 1 hour, and also the top should be a nice golden brown like in the photos!
- Allow to cool in the tin then serve with some chilled custard sauce or whipped cream. Delicious! oh, and of course a cup of Dutch Coffee!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 5gSugar: 37gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Dutch Recipes
Here's a selection of the delicious Dutch recipes I made during my time living in Holland
Dutch Buttercake (Boterkoek) . This is a moist, soft butter cake, famous in the Netherlands. Often served with a cup of coffee. Easy to make and very popular!
Dutch Apple Pie - Loaded with apples, raisins, cinnamon and the most delicious pastry I've ever eaten! Be sure to have a lovely cup of coffee to go with a slice of pie in true Dutch tradition!
Dutch Apple Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, this is a delicious dessert, wonderful served warm. Lovely chunks of apple, laced with cinnamon and then served with a drizzle of warm butterscotch sauce. So Yummy!
Delicious Recipes Using Apples
Here's a lovely selection of recipes using apples.
Apple Frangipane. This is a really nice coffee time cake to make. Goes great with a nice cup of tea! Or you can have as a dessert, warm or cold with a squirt of whipped cream or like me, a blob of vanilla ice cream! It's really yummy! Delicious!
Easy Apple Spiced Turnovers. Delicious warm from the oven! Crispy puff pastry packed with apples coated in cinnamon. Great eaten warm or chilled with a blob of ice cream!
Apple and Pumpkin Muffins! These breakfast muffins are full of the flavors of Fall with pumpkin, apple and cinnamon with a delicious streusel topping. A really easy recipe and that topping is so good!
Easy Apple Angel Dump Cake, so delicious with a blob or two of ice cream! Easy recipe and quick to make. Oven or slow cooker, you choose!
Apple Fritters. Yum! Slices of apple in a crispy light batter then coated in cinnamon sugar. Served warm with a drizzle of syrup, honey or a blob of ice cream.. makes for a perfect dessert! Quick and easy recipe too!
Apple and Cranberry Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Bars. An incredibly easy recipe with fantastic flavors!
Dutch Apple Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, this is a delicious dessert, wonderful served warm. Lovely chunks of apple, laced with cinnamon and then served with a drizzle of warm butterscotch sauce.
Dutch Apple Pie! Loaded with apples, raisins, cinnamon and the most delicious pastry I've ever eaten! Be sure to have a lovely cup of coffee to go with a slice of pie in true Dutch tradition!
Delicious Apple Crumble Pie Bars. These are absolutely out of this world! Chunks of apple pie filling on a lovely shortbread base and topped off with a delicious crumble. Really easy recipe too!
Mini Caramel Apple Pastries. Delightful mini pastries filled with caramel and apples and oh so easy to make!
Mom's Homemade Apple Pie. A wonderful old family recipe, simple ingredients, easy to make and delicious every time! Perfect for a regular family dessert, or to take to pot lucks, Thanksgiving, or anytime!
Amazing Toffee Apple Cake, a delicious cake recipe made from scratch bursting with the flavors of Fall. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas too!
Nanny Pat's Special Apple Pie
This apple pie is an old family recipe and always very popular, especially for those who prefer a crustless pie!
German Style Fluffy Apple Pancakes. Delicious, quick and easy recipe and these are certainly fluffy! Serve warm with a sprinkling of sugar and a dash of cinnamon.
Fluffy Apple Swirl Pudding - A wonderful bread and butter dessert, best served warm with a drizzle of Maple Syrup or a blob of ice cream..or both!
Mom's apple dumplings recipe, old fashioned recipe using apples in a sweet pie crust then baked in delicious cinnamon syrup. A great comforting dessert
Sofia Graf
says:Dutch Farmhouse Cake is a tasty dessert but I have baked it with ghee instead of butter. Ghee is a healthy butter substitute which is more baking friendly than butter. I love ghee baking.
I prefer using Milkio grass-fed ghee for all my recipes.
Lorna Jaye Merriott
says:Awesome! I am adding dried tart cherries also.
lovefoodies
says:Sounds delicious Lorna!